Ball for flagpoles.



R. F. FEATHER.

BALL FOR FLAGPOLES.

APPLICATION FILED r2342, 1912. RENEWED MAY 26, 1914.

1,124,656. Patented Jan. 1-2, 1915.

6 WITNESSES INVENTOR BY 2?? W A ATTORNEY THE NORRIS PErERs 60., PHZiifi-Lrrtic ASHINGTDN. D

TJ'NTTED %TATE% PATENT OFFTQE.

BEECE F. FEATHER, OF SAN FRANCISGO, CALIFORNIA, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-HALF TO WALTER W. KARSTENS, OF SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA.

BALL FOR FLAGPOLES.

AppIication filed February 12, 1912, Serial No. 677,663.

To aZZ whom it may concern Be it known that 1, Recon F. PRATHER, a citizen of the United States, residing at San Francisco, in the county of oan Francisco and State of California, have invented new and useful Improvements in Balls for Flagpoles, of which the following is a specification.

The present invention has for its object to provide a gilded ball, for the top of flag poles or the like, in which the gllding will be preserved for an indefinite period, and which will thus not require re-gilding from time to time, as is the case with balls gilded in the ordinary manner.

In the accompanying drawing, the figure is a broken side view of my improved gilded ball, showing also the parts for connecting it to the top of a flag pole.

Referring to the drawing, 1 indicates a hollow glass ball having a comparatively small circular aperture 2. The interior surface of said ball is covered with gold leaf 3, which, said surface having been previously coated with a suitable sizing, is applied thereto by being first inserted in the small aperture 2 and then laid over the sizing by means of a wire passing through said aperture. When the interior surface has been gilded in this manner, and sufliciently burnished by a suitable device upon the end of a rod, preferably curved, passed through said aperture, a bolt at having a head 5 is then passed through said aperture, the end of the bolt remote from the head having a transverse perforation 6 through which is passed a cord 7 of suitable length, this cord being also passed through the aperture 2. The ends of the cord are passed through a central hole 8 in a bar 9, which bar is then inserted through the hole 2, and, when the bar is entirely within the ball 1, the cord is drawn out, through the aperture 2, so as to draw the end of the bolt attached thereto through the hole 8 in the bar, and thus to draw the head 5 of the bolt against one side of the bar, finally drawing the ends of said bar against the inner surface of the globe. The ends of the bar are formed oblique thereto and with curved surfaces so as to fit snugly against said inner surface. A centrally apertured plug 10, of sufficient size to substantially fill the aperture 2, is then passed around the stem of the bolt. A centrally apertured metallic cup 11 is then Specification of Letters Eatent.

Patented J an. 12, 1915..

-Renewed May 26, 1914. Serial No. 841,153.

passed around the stem of the bolt. A cen trally apertured cap 12 is then passed around the stem of the bolt, and a recess 13 in the inner surface of the end of said cap can receive a nut 14, which nut is screwed on the bolt until a reduced portion of the end of the cap abuts against the outer surface of the metallic cup 11, and presses the edge thereof tight against the glass ball, at the same time drawing the bolt outward, and causing the ends of the bar to press tightly against the inner surface of said ball. A lock-nut 15 is then screwed upon the stem against the nut 14. The cord being withdrawn through the perforation, the globe is ready to be placed in position. The inner surface of the cap is screw-threaded, as shown at 16, to enable it to be screwed upon the top of a short iron pipe, not shown, which it is customary to secure to the top of a flag pole.

The advantage of this construction of gilded balls for fiag poles is that, whereas ordinary gilded balls require regilding every two or three years, a gilded ball of this character never requires regilding, it being suflicient to merely wash or wipe it occasionally, to free it from deposits of dust and the like. If the connections are made suiiiciently tight to nearly exclude the entrance of air, it will last for an indefinite period.

While, in the claims, I speak of gold leaf as being applied to the interior of the ball, it is to be understood that I use this term for the sake of brevity and convenience, and that thereunder is included any substance which can be caused to adhere to the interior surface of a glass ball, and which is of an ornamental character.

I claim 1. Means for securing to an external object a hollow ball having a comparatively small aperture, comprising a bar capable of being passed through said aperture, a bolt passed centrally through said bar and extending through said aperture, and means screwed on said bolt for pressing the ends of said bar against the inner surface of said ball.

2. Means for securing to an external ob ject a hollow ball having a comparatively small aperture, comprising a bar capable of being passed through said aperture, a bolt passed centrally through said bar and extending through said aperture, an apertured plug around said bolt and substantially filling said aperture, a cup around said bolt, the edge of said cup contacting with the external surface of said ball, and means screwed on said bolt for pressing said cup and bar against the external and internal surfaces respectively of the ball.

3. Means for securing to an external object a hollow ball having a comparatively small aperture, comprising a bar capable of being passed through said aperture, a bolt passed centrally through said bar and extending through said aperture, an apertured plug around said bolt and substantially filling said aperture, a cap around the stem of the bolt pressing against said cup, and a nut screwed on said bolt and pressing against said cup. l

4. Means for securing to an external object a hollow ball having a comparatively small aperture, comprising a bar capable of being passed through said aperture, a bolt passed centrally through said bar and extending through said aperture, a cord removably secured to the end of said bolt remote from the head, and means screwed on said bolt for pressing the ends of said bar against the inner surface of said ball.

5. Means for securing to an external object a hollow ball having a comparatively small aperture, comprising a bar capable of being passed through said aperture, a bolt passed centrally through saidbar and ex- F. M. WRIGHT, D. B. RICHARDS.

Copies 01 this patent may be obtained (or five cents each, 0y addressing the Commissioner of Patents. Washington, D. C. 

